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Are you researching mailing list after mailing list and still unsure where to spend your real estate marketing dollars?  This can be very confusing to a new real estate investor, and is not explained clearly in seminars or courses.  Trust me, I get this question ALOT from new real estate investors that call in and inquire about starting a new real estate marketing campaign.  Take the time to read this article, and it should help you decide the best mailing list for you and your business.

First off, let’s take a look at the wholesaling business and find out how to generate leads for this particular business model.

WHOLESALING

Ahhhh….one of the easiest ways on the planet to make a quick check for $5,000. But how will you get these leads to call in?  Who would sell their house as cheap that you could sell it for more than you bought it for and make a profit?  Do you ask yourself these questions?  Well STOP! There are plenty of sellers out there who need to sell their house quickly and are willing to take a steep discount to get what they want.  Most of the properties owned by these sellers are in distress.  They have deferred maintenance (or worse). Sometimes the sellers are in a pinch for money, or they just want to dump the property off and get rid of it. I know, these are not the “typical” scenarios for selling a house. But they ARE out there.  So how do you find them?

First, you have to accept the fact that there are sellers out there who will sell their house for 20 cents on the dollar.  Then market to them.  You’ll find these people on these lists:

Free and Clear  - This is a list of people who are in high equity positions.  While you may think that this list would contain a list of people who own their house without a mortgage, that is not always the case.  When you purchase a free and clear list, it will contain names and addresses of people who have at least 60% equity in their properties. Yes, it could include properties with no mortgage, but not always.  The good thing about the people on this list is that they are in a position to sell cheap. It’s your job to screen them out and find out their motivation for selling (or calling you in the first place).  Order Free and Clear Leads NOW!

Unsafe Structures – Most counties will have a list of properties that have code violations.  The violations can be very minor (from overgrown grass) , and as severe as Unsanitary/Unsafe Conditions.  Some examples of the more severe violations would be holes in the roof, leaking sewage, broken windows, excessive wood, etc You get the picture.  This is a great list to market to!  In fact, it’s the very first list that I started with as a wholesaler.  I used the Unsafe Structure list for several years to generate leads. Call your local authorities to see if they can provide you with a listing of all of the properties with code violations.

Probates - One of my personal favorites for generating motivated seller leads. The Personal Representative of the estate is left to handle the liquidation of the assets of the estate  If there is a property involved, then they usually want to get it sold quickly. What I find most of the time is that the property belonged to an elderly person and it needs alot of work to get up to “par” with the competition.  Also, the heirs live out of state in alot of cases, and they just don’t have the time or the money to keep traveling back to the location of the property to see that is properly maintained, and to do any repairs. They would rather just sell the property quickly and be done with it.  But why are these leads good for wholesaling?  Well, like I said……..they usually belong to an elderly person who has pad their house off, or they had mortgage insurance in place that paid off the mortgage at the time of death.  That leaves these properties free and clear, AND in a distress situation. This list is not readily available (not an accurate one, anyway).  This list usually takes some legwork and research.  You have to look up the Probate cases in your city (if they are of Public Record), find out who the Personal Representative is (if that information is available), research to find out if the deceased person owned real estate, and then mail them a yellow letter.  The results?  A great mailing list of potential HIGHLY motivated sellers who are ready to drop the property like a hot potatoe!  And you’ll be there to catch it.

These are the top 3 mailing lists for finding motivated sellers who will sell their property at a steep discount. There are plenty more, but let’s not complicate things too much. Keep it simple.  If wholesaling is your primary goal, then choose one of these lists that I have listed here, and market to them consistently!!  Try mailing them a yellow letter for the first contact, and then follow 5 or 6 more times (monthly) with a postcard.

We Love Canadians at Yellow Letters Complete.com, and we’re one of the only (if not the ONLY )provider of yellow letter services to real estate professionals in Canada. If you are a aspiring young real estate investor or Real Estate Agent who is looking to dominate your locate market, then you’re in the right place.

Letters are only $.99 if you are in Canada!  Read the Details about yellow letters in Canada right here.

Yellow Letters get a 5 to 10% reponse rate  – that’s higher than any other type of marketing that’s available to you anywhere! Don’t miss this opportunity to generate the MOST motivated seller leads.

It doesn’t matter how much I talk to you guys on the phone telling you how great Pre NOD Leads are for your business, there’s nothing quite like hearing it from the horse’s mouth.  Listen to this voice mail that I got from one of my Florida customers on July 30, 2009.   Once you hear this message, I’m sure you’ll understand why you should be calling me every 3 weeks to get YOUR list of Pre NOD leads.

Listen to Voice Mail Left By Actual Customer

Then go the Pre NOD order page and get your order in for Pre NOD Leads!!

I ran an ad in one of the smaller newspaper publications. It started running on April 19, 2009 and ran for 30 days. Overall, the ad resulted in 78 phone calls. Out of those 78 phone calls, I was able to collect information from 38 of these buyers regarding their contact info (including email address), their monthly payment budget, how much they have for a down payment, and what they’re looking for in a house.

The prospects are driven to a phone number where a live person answers (between 9 am and 5 pm), or a recorded message (after hours) telling them to leave me their name, phone # and email address.

Once they do this, I add them to my buyers database and begin marketing to them, sending them to my website so they can check out the homes that I have for sale.

Below is a screenshot of my actual email inbox, showing you only a list of the people that have left messages after hours. (Click on the image to see it larger).

This ad really did the trick!! I have 38 more people to sell my houses to, and it only cost me about $2.00 per lead. I think I’ll run that ad again………

Here’s what my ad said:

“OWNER FINANCING

THREE NICE HOMES TO CHOOSE FROM

24 HOUR RECORDED MESSAGE

(904) 555-5555 ”

Of course, the ad has my real phone number for buyers.  I chose a smaller publication newspaper to keep my marketing cost low.  I I had run this same ad in the Florida Times Union, it would have cost me nearly $500 for a month. Instead, I only paid about $80.  Not too shabby…… Now I gotta go…Ive got to get to work on selling some of these houses I have for sale!!

This is very exciting!! I’ll be joining Kimberlee Frank in Orlando Florida on May 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for her Foreclosures Gone Wild 3 Day LIVE Event!  Listen to the Podcast and Check out why I’m excited about being there, meeting you in person, and how you can earn yourself a FREE Vacation!

 

 Foreclosures Gone Wild [25:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (721)

KIMBERLEE’S “GONE WILD” WEBSITE

Dear Newbies,

I know the TV and the Newspapers have got you thinking that this is the worst real estate market that you’ll ever see. if you don’t quit watching that crap, you’re going to self combust. There are too many people doing deals right now in today’s market, including myself, and you can do the same thing!! You have to know how to market for these properties, and more specifically, you have to know how to price and sell them quickly.

Fear can overcome your entire being when it comes time to make a decision about getting started in real estate. Coaching can be expensive, and some of these coaches can even make you feel left out in the cold. They’re too busy to take the time with you that you need, and you may never get a deal done. I’m not calling any names out, because there are some really great coaches out there, but some may just want your credit card number.

I’m ready to help some newbies out!! I’m ready to be the one who can help you make it happen. Here’s the deal:

For a LIMITED number of people(5) , I will be your real estate coach/mentor. I will help you get through the hardest part (your first deal), and see to it that you make a big check. Once you get through the first one, the rest will be a piece of cake. I’ll be there to help you overcome your fear and make sure you’re doing and saying all of the right things to your sellers, Realtors, buyers, etc.

I know I will get a huge response from people who want to get on board with me today, so please, please understand that I can’t take everyone under my wing. I am a pretty busy lady, and have a full planner page. I’m going to squeeze my calendar and make time for you!! I want you to do a deal, so I’m going to see to it that it happens for you.

Here’s the scoop on the partnership:

1. You must have some training under your belt and know the technical part of doing a deal. You don’t have to know everything, but some basic knowledge about how creative real estate works is certainly a must.
2. You must be willing to pay for at least 1,000 yellow letters and a mailing list. That is your investment into this deal to show me that you are serious about becoming a real estate investor and being in business for yourself.
3. You need to be open to suggestion and follow the advice that I give you when it comes to deal analysis, making offers, and selling the property. You will also do all of the talking to the seller (of course I’ll tell you what to say and how to say it). If it gets to a point where you need for me to step in, I will, but I want you to get used to doing it on your own (or you’ll always be afraid to do it).
4. We will split the profit on the deal 50/50 at closing (we will sign a partnership agreement for one time transaction agreeing to this).
5. You will provide me with a recorded/video testimonial once the deal closes explaining how I was able to help you and how much money you made on the deal.
6. You will pay me a one time fee in advance of $1,000.00 (that’s it) for my time.  It doesn’t matter how much time it takes me to get you through your first deal, that’s how much of my time you’re buying.  My time is valuable, it’s just not Free………

MAKE SURE YOU READ AND AGREE TO THE ABOVE TERMS BEFORE FILLING OUT THIS FORM!!

Here’s what I’ll contribute:

1. My time and knowledge making sure you know how to pre-screen sellers, how to select the deals that make sense, what to do with the deals that don’t, etc.
2. Walking you through the entire process of getting a deal under contract all the way to closing. This will include marketing, taking calls, making appointments, your presentation, negotiating, signing paperwork, marketing to sell, finding buyer, and closing on the transaction. If it’s a short sale, I’ll help you with that, as well.
3. Being your motivation and your “security blanket” until you get through the deal.

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, you’re going to need to reply in a quick like fashion. I really only have the time to commit for 5 people. That’s it. So if you’re interested, don’t procrastinate!! Fill out the form below and I will be in touch with you shortly. Remember, I’m only taking 5 students, so don’t be upset if I don’t choose you.

I’m a firm believer that you should constantly be testing new products and new ideas and essentially, implementing those that are working the best into your business.  Well, check out this video! You’re not going to believe your eyes or ears when you find out what’s been going on behind the scenes with ME!  I’ve been testing a new marketing piece that’s going to make you flip your lid!!!  Play the Video Podcast to Find out MORE!!!!

 

 Episode 5 - The Secret Revealed Through The Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (560)

Are you struggling with your bank account, but still determined to get started in the real estate business?  I totally understand where you’re coming from!  It’s not easy trying to juggle around all of the expenses that are associated with starting in the real estate business.  After all, you have education and training, travel, hotels, business cards, websites, marketing campaigns, and now answering services.  Gheez….You’d think this is a real business or something. (Who’da thunk it?)

Well, this one is for the aspiring young investors out there who need an inexpensive way to get their calls from sellers answered.  Good luck!!!!

 

 The Cheapskate Way To Get Your Calls Answered [13:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (178)

Sample Craigslist Ad:

I need someone to answer and pre-screen my calls. These calls are coming in as a result of direct marketing efforts to owners of real estate that are in unique situations (foreclosure,divorce, bankruptcy, probate, etc).

Your job will be to answer the call, and ask them a series of questions that will be provided to you by me.  I will pay you $1.00 per call for each pre-screening form that you turn in to me (that is completed) , and $.50 for each call /message that is turned in (or partially complete).

This can be done from your home, but I do need someone who can take calls on the “fly” – and maintain a professional sound to the caller (no TV, dogs, or other noises in the background).  I will forward my own number to you so that you can take the calls.  I will pay you once per week on Fridays – either via PayPal or check (your choice).

Reply to my ad if interested. I will call you to do a a phone interview and a “test run”.

As you may already know, Than Merrill (Star of A & E’s Flip That House) launched Wholesaling University a couple of weeks ago.  It’s so exciting and dynamic, that I even signed up as a student of the University (and I’ve been wholesaling for 10 years).   But there’s something that’s even cooler than that.  Than Merrill PERSONALLY recommends that you use www.YellowLettersComplete.com to get all of your yellow letter direct mail done.  If you are a wholesaling University Student, be sure to check this out for yourself. Here’s How to Find it:

Login to Wholesaling U >  Go to Bonus Marketing Jumpstart > Listen to 1.7 Week 7 Pre-Foreclosure Direct Mail

In this video  (around the 38 minute mark of the video) Than Merrill tells you to use www.YellowLettersComplete.com for all of your pre-foreclosure direct mail needs.  HOW AWESOME IS THAT??

Discover how to talk to sellers of real estate, and find out how to discover the Motivation Trigger Words that always indicate motivation. Save a great amount of time and money by listening to this podcast and using the tips and techniques that are outlined in this podcast!

 

 Episode 3 Talking to Sellers [9:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1122)